Final Straw
by KHLostEmpress
Summary: In which Murphy's Law is enacted, Hikari scares the crap out of the men, Mimi has no sense of time, Miyako is the last hope, and Takeru doesn't do much of anything at all. Really, in the end, she should have just stuck to her original plan and left the phone alone. Final Hope/Unending Light Takari


Author's Notes: This one-shot takes place in the same universe as my _Final Hope_ and _Unending Light_ stories. I'm pretty sure reading those is not necessary to get the story as long as you are good with going with the flow.

And yes, this was meant to up on Valentine's Day. I'm late. I thought about waiting until next year to post but decided to just put it up anyway so that I wouldn't have to worry about it. So, just go with it, alright?

* * *

_Valentine's Day 2015_

_8:23pm_

The male members of the Digidestined all took a step back in unison as she turned to look at them. None of them had quite ever seen her like this before, like an avenging angel, all righteousness and fury compacted in her small body and nearly visibly radiating off of her. For a moment, some of them could have sworn she actually glowed, not that it would have been the first time.

Her hair, which had been so carefully curled and put into a complicated updo only a couple of hours ago, was hanging in a tangled mess around her head. One of her red high heels was missing while the other hung limply from her fingers with the heel halfway broken off. The matching red strapless sheath dress that she wore was now stained by grass among other things; the slit that had only run up to her knee before was now halfway up her thigh. The white fur half-jacket they'd all seen her wearing in the beginning was nowhere in sight.

None of them knew the whole story of what had happened to her this day, but at this point the entire story was a moot point. All their male instincts were screaming at them to run in the opposite direction as fast as humanly possible. The shock of seeing her, of all people, glaring at them with such outrage was the only thing keeping them in place. Finally, her mouth opened and, as one, the men tensed but only a single word, a name, fell from her lipstick smeared lips.

"Takeru."

Hikari Yagami was on her final straw.

* * *

_9:29am_

On this particular Saturday morning, it was the sun that was shining down gloriously on Odaiba that woke Hikari. It finally peeked its light through her blinds enough that her eyes could no longer hold onto sleep and scrunched in protest. Since Hikari had to get up early on weekdays for work, she usually enjoyed sleeping in a little on weekends. It was hard to convince herself to get out of bed because it was so warm and cozy. The winter was always a hard season to reason with one's self that leaving bed was a good idea. As she peeked one eye open to check the time, she sighed and threw the covers off, knowing she should stop being lazy and get out of bed. Perhaps she was spending too much time with her boyfriend, Takeru Takaishi, because he might have been rubbing off on her. He enjoyed lazing around in bed far more than she did.

But Hikari sat up abruptly when she remembered what day it was. Today was Valentine's Day. And Takeru had promised her an extra special date.

Hikari quickly sprinted to the bathroom to complete her morning routine. She chose an outfit that was comfortable to wear lounging around the house, since it would be some very long hours before she actually had to dress up for her date. The final addition to her outfit lay in a tiny bowl shaped like a white angel wing; the sole purpose of which was to keep the single item in it safe. Takeru had given her the bowl on her birthday after the one time she had lost it, only to discover it had simply been knocked onto the floor behind the dresser.

Hikari picked up the ring form the bowl and slid it onto the ring finger of her right hand. She lifted her hand up towards her face to study it more closely, glancing down briefly towards her bare left hand. Tempted though she was to try the ring on that very significant finger, Hikari wanted to wait. For six years, almost every day, she had worn the promise ring Takeru had given her, about half a year after they started dating.

All that time they'd been together, except for The Great Break-up of 2012, which Hikari could admit had been mostly her fault. She'd been an idiot, and Takeru had been one for _letting_ her be one. Luckily, it hadn't lasted very long, but when they got back together, it had reaffirmed that there was no one else for her but Takeru. She had reached that point where there was no going back.

She couldn't figure out why he hadn't proposed yet.

It wasn't like she would say no, and she was sure he knew that. With Miyako and Ken getting married in April, that would make them the last of the couples inside the Digidestined to get married. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing. She was simply in that place where she almost just wanted it over with already. And she was starting to anticipate the proposal almost every date they had now.

Especially days like today. They didn't really totally embrace these special couple days like today, but if Mimi got her hands on him, Hikari knew it was more likely. And Mimi had been assuring that she'd been dropping hints on him. Hikari didn't think that he needed the hints but also knew Mimi enough to just let it go.

Jolting suddenly as she realized she'd just been standing there and staring at her promise ring, Hikari made the bed and went out to eat breakfast. With that done and the dishes washed, Hikari sat at the table, stirring a cup of hot chocolate idly. "What should I do?" she murmured to herself. Typically (and this year was no different), Hikari bought chocolate to give to Takeru and her friends. While a fairly good cook, desserts seemed to just completely elude Hikari.

Cookies came out flat, brownies turned to charcoal, and the oven caught on fire the one time she'd attempted to make a cake. However, Hikari was convinced, by way of Takeru's belief in her, that one day she would figure it out and get past this dessert block that she had. So, because it could very well be the day Hikari received a special gift, she couldn't help but want to have something special to be given in return. Which was why she decided that she was going to attempt to make homemade chocolate for him.

With that in mind, Hikari put on her coat, grabbed her purse, keys, and phone, and headed out into the cold.

* * *

_1:02pm_

Three hours later, Hikari was ready to pull her hair out.

She had been to a grand total of seventeen stores, and unbelievably, every single one had been completely cleared out of chocolate. Wondering at the sheer unlikelihood of that, Hikari knew she only had one option, if she didn't want to wander the entire island of Odaiba (and perhaps the city of Tokyo). So, she called Miyako.

It seemed to take forever for the other woman to answer the phone. "Hello?" Miyako greeted, when the click of connection finally was heard.

"Miyako," Hikari sighed in relief, feeling like a huge weight was sliding off her chest. "_Please_ tell me your family's store still has some chocolate." Tensing again, Hikari bit her bottom lip as she waited for the answer.

There was a beat of silence. "Didn't you buy your chocolate a few days ago? You didn't eat it, did you? Not that I'm judging cause I totally understand if you just had one of those days where chocolate was necessary," Miyako finished in a rush.

Hikari rubbed her forehead at the bridge of her nose. On any normal day, she wouldn't have minded Miyako's rambling. But walking around in the cold and going to _seventeen_ stores looking for one simple, single item could fray down anyone's nerves she was sure. "I did," she said. "But I decided this morning to try to make Takeru's chocolate."

"You're going to...make...chocolate?"

Not appreciative of Miyako's incredulous tone, Hikari straightened and held her breath. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, remembering that Miyako really did have a reason to be skeptical and that a bad shopping trip was no reason to snap at anyone. "I want to try," she answered when she was calm.

"Alright, alright," Miyako said with a small chuckle. "I'll call my mom and get back to you in a minute."

Sagging in relief, Hikari said, "Thanks, Miyako."

"No problemo."

The two women hung up, and Hikari waited for her friend's answer. She gripped the phone tightly. A part of her understood that it didn't _really_ matter. If she couldn't make the chocolate, Hikari _had_ already bought some for him. Takeru would never know the difference if she failed. But ever since she made her decision to try, she'd started looking really forward to giving them to him.

It was a good ten minutes later (and quite a few spent wondering if Miyako forgot about her) before her phone rang. Hikari picked it up within two rings. Without waiting for greetings, Miyako gushed, "Sorry! My mom went on a tangent about wedding plans. Anyway, she said that they still have a box left in storage. I told her to save them for you."

"Great! Thank you so much."

Miyako laughed. "So...you think he's going to pop the question tonight? Is that why you wanted to do this?"

Hikari pouted her lips. "I don't know," she said. "I did want to make sure to have something special; you're right, but…" She trailed off and shrugged, forgetting the fact that her friend could not actually see her. "He might, right? We can always hope."

Miyako huffed in a sound that sounded half-amused and half-frustrated. "Well, here's hoping then. Good luck!" she said before hanging up. Grinning now, Hikari ran for the bus stop only to discover she'd literally missed the one she needed by thirty seconds. And it was a good twenty minutes before it would come around again.

Pressing her lips together, Hikari ran through bus routes in her mind, wondering if there was another one she could take that would get her close (if not as necessarily as close as the one she missed). She was almost positive the next bus would take her a few blocks from Miyako's family store, so without hesitation she hopped on.

She zoned out, thinking about the other things she would need in addition to the chocolate. But when the bus passed in front of the Fuji TV station (one of the first buildings repaired back to how it was before Myotismon's attack and some part of her had been greatly relieved to see it spared during Daemon's assault), she realized that she was on the completely wrong part of Odaiba. Checking the bus number, she realized in her distraction she'd mixed up the last two digits with this bus and the one she actually wanted.

Growing in frustration, she got off at the next stop and studied the map, wondering now how to get to where she wanted to go. Hikari tended to avoid this part of the island most of the time as there were just too many bad memories. Wizardmon was back now, but the fact that he had died for her still hurt.

Finding the right bus route thanks to the map, Hikari finally made it to the Inoue family store. Mrs. Inoue was standing behind the counter and smiled when Hikari entered. "Hello, dear," she said as she bent down and brought up a brown box. "I've got it all opened up for you. Now, how many do you need?"

"The whole box," Hikari replied without hesitation. When it came to desserts, she knew her limitations. So it was best to have back-ups. Lots of backups.

Mrs. Inoue seemed shocked but happily sold her the entire box along with the rest of the supplies Hikari would need. At last, Hikari headed back home to begin her project.

* * *

_2:56pm_

The kitchen was an absolute disaster. Chocolate, burnt, deformed, and/or broken, was all over the place. Drops dotted all over the counter, all over the floor, and all over her clothes and hair. And Hikari still had not managed to make even a halfway _decent_ piece of chocolate. There were only two bags of chocolate left. As much as she hated to admit it, it was time to call in emergency measures.

"Mimi?" Hikari said into the phone. "I need your help."

A short while later, her friend arrived with her almost two-year-old daughter, Akiko, in her arms. The two were in matching puffy pink coats, and identical cheerful smiles adorned their faces. To her credit, though eyes sparkled with mirth, Mimi pressed her lips together to stop her laughter. Unfortunately, her daughter was far too young to censor herself. "You got chocolate all over, Aunt Hikari. Do you need help wiping? Daddy wipes my mouth when I got chocolate all over. Maybe Uncle Takeru could help you."

Mimi started to laugh, clearly unable to hold it in any longer, and Hikari soon joined her, letting her frustration wash away. Hikari simply adored Akiko, who was a rather adorably precocious little girl. When she was born, Mimi had been adamant that the Digidestined were family, and her children would know it. The whole group had agreed, deciding then and there that they would all be aunts and uncles to any children born into their group.

Mimi quickly settled her daughter on the floor of the living room with two dolls she had brought, one of those being the stuffed Palmon Mimi had made her that the little girl hardly went anywhere without, before ushering Hikari into the kitchen. She took one look at the kitchen before she said, "Let's clean up first. I'll get this—you go shower."

By the time, she was finished with her shower and had changed her clothes, Mimi had cleared the kitchen and had everything set out and ready. "Now, Hikari, I assure you, in half an hour, you will have chocolate to give to your boyfriend."

Feeding off Mimi's enthusiasm, Hikari went to work, even as some part of her was sure she was still going to mess this up, despite having the best cook she knew guiding her every move. But she was proven wrong when she followed Mimi's every instruction precisely and came out with a perfectly shaped chocolate heart, decorated in white and pink. She even knew it tasted good because she and Mimi had shamelessly finished off the extra left over.

The chocolate was set safely in its box and placed in the refrigerator to finish cooling. Hikari followed Mimi back to the living room with a bounce in her step, sure this meant that her luck was finally turning around for the day. As they approached, Hikari could hear Akiko singing to herself. She slowed as she realized what it was she was hearing. "Is she singing the _times tables_?"

"Uh-huh," Mimi replied, eyes twinkling. "She doesn't know them all yet, but Koushiro has been teaching them to her, I think for his own amusement. She's learning them far better than I thought she would. She's so much like me, but it's at times like these when I'm reminded that she has her father in her, too. Which I'm grateful for, don't get me wrong, because hopefully that will help her enjoy school more than I did," she finished with a laugh, and Hikari joined in. Mimi observed her daughter playing for a moment before she turned again to Hikari. "Now, what are you wearing tonight? Did you buy anything new?"

Hikari shook her head and admitted, "No." It was for this reason precisely that Hikari hadn't called Mimi immediately for help. She was resigned now, however, that Mimi was, indeed, going to help her get ready for her date.

"Hikari, tonight could be _the_ night!" Mimi exclaimed appalled. In a mutter, she added, "Or at least it should be with all the hints I've dropped on him."

Hikari giggled. "I know that, Mimi. I was thinking about wearing that mint green dress. You know, the one you gave me back when I lost my memories?"

Mimi's jaw dropped. "You still fit in that?"

"You know I stopped growing when I was sixteen."

At that, the other woman looked thoughtful. "I guess that's true." Suddenly, she gave Hikari a piercing glare. "Just wait until you and Takeru have a baby. Then, you'll find that half your wardrobe no longer fits. Even _if_ you work off all the weight you gained." She picked at her shirt near her abdomen as if to emphasize her point.

A dreamy smile lifted Hikari's expression at the thought of them having a baby. She hoped it was a boy, bright and cheerful like his father. Though, of course, she wouldn't mind a daughter either. Lost in a daydream, she was brought back when Mimi tapped her lightly on the arm. "Think about that later," she teased. "For now, let's just get you engaged. And since you can't possibly wear that dress—seriously, Hikari, do you _want_ to remind him of that time?—I see no other alternative. We must go shopping to buy one."

"But Takeru will be here in three hours!" Hikari protested. "_You_ have your anniversary today, too!"

"Then we must be quick."

And before she could blink, Mimi had Akiko (who cheered loudly at the fact that she was going to get to see her Aunt Hikari in lots of pretty dresses) and Hikari in the car headed for the nearest mall.

* * *

_5:34pm_

"Mimi! We are going to be late!"

"Oh, hush," her friend said as she ushered Hikari into their third dress boutique. They'd been at the mall for over an hour already, and Mimi had subsequently rejected every single dress Hikari had tried on. Hikari honestly could not say how many she'd put on—she stopped counting after twenty-three and that had been forty-five minutes ago. The entire rainbow of colors and a plethora of styles had been tried on but nothing seemed to satisfy her friend. And Hikari knew better than to think her opinion counted for anything. She glanced nervously at the clock, knowing that Takeru would be at her door at seven o'clock, which was a little less than an hour and a half from then. She could only be thankful that she'd already showered.

Akiko, on the other hand, was having the time of her life. Unlike her mother, the little girl had adored every dress that Hikari had put on. At one point, she'd spotted a bridal shop as they walked to another store and jumped up and down, asking to go inside. While Hikari blushed, Mimi explained to her young daughter that they did not need to go there...yet.

After they entered the store, Mimi pushed Hikari to the back of the store where the changing rooms were located; three dresses from the racks already laid into her arms. As she was changing into the first one, Hikari could hear Akiko. "Ooh, look at this one, Mama. It's so pretty. Or what about this one? It's red, like in a rainbow. Daddy told me red comes first in a rainbow cause it's got the biggest wavelength. What's a wavelength, Mama?"

Mimi's reply was spoken absently, as if she wasn't focusing her whole attention on her daughter. "Ask Daddy when we get home."

"Okay!" Akiko answered brightly. Hikari figured she was probably used to that answer from her mother. And since Koushiro could easily go on a tangent (of a different variety) as much as Mimi, Hikari knew that was probably how the little girl knew so much. With a rapt audience, Koushiro could go into long winded explanations. Most of the time, he knew better than to try that with most of the Digidestined, but clearly he'd gotten just that with his daughter.

"You know, I think you may have picked a winner, Akiko," Mimi said thoughtfully.

"The red one? I really like that one." After a pause, the little girl's excited cry could be heard. Moments later, Mimi flung a red dress over the top of the changing stall with instructions to abandon the rest and put it on immediately.

Before she did so, Hikari studied the red dress in her hands. It was a sheath dress, lines straight as a stick all the way down. Even without putting it on, she could tell that the dress would fall to her ankles, if not past them. The crimson red color of it was broken only by a thick black ribbon just below the bust line, giving it an empire looking style. In the center of the back ribbon, red rhinestones were encrusted on it in a star like shape that reminded her, in the vaguest sense, of her own crest. As she put the dress on, the dress split on the bottom on her left side, revealing a knee high slit.

Looking at herself in the mirror after she put it on, Hikari had to agree with Mimi. This dress was by far the best of the million and a half she'd already tried on. An insistent knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. "Hikari, do you need help with the zipper?"

Mimi's question reminded her that she had only gotten the zipper about half-way up before she couldn't reach it anymore. "Umm...yes," Hikari replied. Stepping away from the mirror, she unlocked the door and opened it enough for Mimi and her daughter to slip through. Immediately, Mimi pushed her hair out of the way and zipped up the dress the rest of the way. She pulled Hikari's hair back over her shoulder and then circled her, observing her with a thoughtful quirk to her lips.

"Mama, this is the one. It's prodigious." Akiko smiled brightly after dropping her father's favorite catchphrase.

Her lips split into a wide grin to match and her eyes twinkled as Mimi stared down at her daughter. "You think so?" she asked. Akiko nodded enthusiastically in answer. Mimi turned her gaze onto Hikari. "And you? What do you think?"

Hikari stared at herself, fingering the skirt lightly. "I really like it," she admitted quietly.

That was apparently enough of an answer for Mimi. She ushered Hikari out of the dress, and they bought it after she changed back into her normal clothes. Unfortunately, it was not the end of their shopping trip. After grilling her on what shoes and accessories Hikari owned, Mimi decided that, while she had an appropriate coat and some good jewelry to go with the dress, her choice of shoes was completely unacceptable and that would be their next stop.

Luckily for Hikari, for once that day, things went right and it only took about half an hour to find red high heels the exact same shade as her dress.

* * *

_6:55pm_

Mimi had stayed long enough to curl Hikari's hair and twist it up into a complicated bun that Hikari was afraid to touch for fear of messing it up and to zip Hikari's dress all the way up to stave off the only other option of waiting for Takeru to come and help her. Twenty minutes ago, she had left, stating she had to drop Akiko off at her parents before she and Koushiro went out for their anniversary. "Call me if he proposes." Those had been her parting words.

Now, Takeru could be here any minute now, and Hikari was just putting the finishing touches on her makeup. In addition to the dress and high heels, Hikari had put on a simple silver necklace with a heart shaped pendant. Three opals, each smaller than the rest, adorned the left arch of the heart. Takeru had given her the necklace, a match in color and gem to her promise ring, a few Christmases back. A thin silver band bracelet encircled her left wrist. For her coat, she'd chosen her white fur half-jacket.

Once her makeup was finished, she returned to her room and dug out her small black handbag. Into it, she put a few essentials: ID, money, chapstick, phone, and D3. Even at peace, the Digidestined knew better than to go anywhere without their Digivices. Luckily, they didn't have to lug around their old D-Terminals anymore. Koushiro and Gennai had created an exclusive phone application for them so that they could use it to access their Digi-Eggs. Hikari had no idea how it worked, only that she had to transfer the data whenever she got a new phone, so that no one could access it on their old phone.

Soon, the doorbell rang and she went to answer it. Takeru smiled brightly when he saw her, a soft, gentle one exclusively for her that spoke of his love more than any words could convey. "You look absolutely beautiful." He breathed the words before he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. And Hikari truly believed that now Takeru was with her, the day was finally turning around in her favor.

And for a while, it did.

* * *

_7:38pm_

It was the beeping, both from her purse and his pocket, that alerted Hikari to the fact that any chance she had of turning this day around had finally, and with finality, been shot. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me," she muttered. Not only had she realized halfway to the restaurant that she had forgotten the chocolate she'd spent well over more than half the day _slaving_ over, now her and Takeru's D-3s were going off. And that could mean only one thing.

The Digital World needed their help.

Since they defeated, Daemon and the Deep Ones of the Dark World, there had been little need for any of them to go to the Digital World except to visit their friends. A few skirmishes had happened here and there (some Champion Nightmare Soldier or another that thought they had a chance conquering the world—Taichi would usually laugh in their faces before any one of them dispatched of them quickly), but nothing in the full scale of what they had dealt with when they were children. All those times had caused the same beeping from their Digivices.

A part of her wanted to ignore it, sure that it was just another minor problem that any one of them could handle alone. But the larger part of her, the part that had been trained, that _knew_, to put her duty as a Digidestined first, spoke quite a bit louder. She would never make that mistake again (finding out that Odaiba had nearly been _blown up_ because she'd been busy with a _birthday party_ had instilled that knowledge in her).

Because what if this time is _wasn't_ some low-life Champion level Nightmare Soldier? What it the _worlds_ were at stake again? What was her one Valentine's Day compared to that?

"They could need us," Takeru said, echoing her thoughts as he rose to his feet. Hikari knew he was right. Putting aside his shield and her attack, their Digimon had always been the most effective against those types of dark Digimon. So, Hikari nodded and let Takeru help her to her feet.

The two of them got stared at as they walked out, and Takeru hastily paid the bill. Probably because their D-3s were still beeping, and everyone was wondering why they didn't turn them off, since they most likely assumed it was a phone of something of that sort beeping. "Who lives the closest to here?" Takeru asked as they stepped out onto the street.

Quickly, Hikari went through the city in her head. "Sora and Yamato, isn't it?" She knew why he asked; they needed a computer, and it was always best to use one in their houses rather than in public to open the Digital Gate.

Takeru nodded absently as he waved down a taxi at the same time as he pulled out his D-3 to stop the alarm. She followed suit only to find that her phone had a text message as well. It was Koushiro with the sector that the attack was occurring; he also said he and Mimi were working on getting the Digimon to the coordinates.

Hikari relayed this information to Takeru, wondering yet again if they really shouldn't just keep their partners with them in the real world at all times, appearances and secrets aside. When they entered the taxi, Takeru gave the address and they were off. Ten minutes later, and half a mile from Sora and Yamato's place, they were in a traffic jam. Which they could not see the end of.

After a few minutes of sitting there and moving the grand total of half an inch, Takeru stated, "We can't wait."

"I know," Hikari agreed even as she grimaced at the thought of racing that distance in her high heels. Takeru reached into his back pocket to get his wallet to pay the taxi, even as Hikari explained to him that they would walk from there. After shoving some money into the driver's hand, the couple exited the car and slipped through the other vehicles to the sidewalks. A few people honked at them, but the two, part of a group that could legitimately claim the title of Saviors of the Worlds, ignored them completely. The people did not know who they were, and the Digidestined liked it that way.

When she stumbled slightly getting up the curb, Takeru was there with one arm around her waist and the other gripping her hand to steady her. No words were necessary as Hikari smiled in gratitude at her boyfriend. A slight nod and answering smile was all the reply she needed. He did not pull fully away from her, even after she steadied herself. Takeru gripped her hand, intertwining his fingers with her. They set off at a brisk jog as Hikari lifted her skirt slightly with her free hand so that she wouldn't trip over it.

Amazingly enough, she managed to make it to the apartment complex without falling. They took the elevator up to the right floor, taking the chance to catch their breath as they leaned against the wall. Takeru reached into his pocket as the elevator chimed open, coming out with his keys. His brother had given him a key to their apartment in case of emergencies. But before he could even put the key in, the door opened, revealing Sora, shocking the couple. "I heard the keys," Sora said by way of explanation as she ushered them in. "Yamato already left, but the gate is still open."

"You aren't coming?" Hikari asked in surprise.

The older girl blushed and looked uncomfortable. "We weren't going to tell anyone yet," she muttered, seemingly embarrassed. There was a pause before she continued, "We found out that I'm pregnant a couple weeks ago."

Hikari immediately brightened at the news. She was going to be an aunt again! She _loved_ being an aunt. It was like having all the benefits of having a kid without any of the cons. "Congratulations," she and Takeru said simultaneously.

"Thanks," Sora said. "But since this is probably nothing _again_, we didn't really want to take any chances. I want you to contact me if it gets really bad. I told Yamato the same thing."

Though Hikari wanted to stay and talk about this more, Sora's words reminded her why they were there again. So, the two of them lifted their D-3's to the screen and disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

_8:02pm_

When they entered the Digital World, they were met with fire. Lots and lots of fire. Fortunately, Takeru's instincts and reaction time were good enough that his shield flashed into light in a half bubble around them before the flames reached them. They were left untouched when the fire died out seconds later.

Hikari knew the flames were not from their side; she also knew that this meant they probably _weren't_ facing just some Champion level Nightmare Soldier this time. If the battle was still going on after how long it took them to get there, it was probably a Mega level they were dealing with. Which meant they _would_ need the two of them. Their Digimon had always been the most effective against those types.

In the sky, they could see high above the forms of WarGreymon, MetalGarurumon, Rosemon, Ornismon, and HerculesKabuterimon attacking a winged Digimon surrounded by legions of Champion (and a few Ultimate) Nightmare Soldiers. They were too high up for her to make out if she knew the leader, but by sheer numbers it seemed they were doing well enough to hold off the five on their side. From the flames continuously flowing from the leader's hands, it was easy to see why fire had met them when they arrived.

"Where are the others?" Takeru asked. He hadn't dropped the shield yet, which meant he had come to the same conclusion as her.

She checked her D-3 searching for the familiar colored dots and which direction they lay. Without Gatomon and Patamon, Takeru's shield was the only protection they had. "Not far," Hikari answered. "Just over that way," she finished by pointing out the direction.

Cautiously, Takeru let the shield drop and they moved to where their group was located. Not thirty seconds later, they came into view, hidden behind a hill. From whom she had seen in the sky, it was easy to guess who was there: Taichi, Yamato, Mimi, Miyako, and Koushiro. Daisuke and Ex-Veemon were also there, but without Ken and Stingmon, the blue Digimon could go no further into his evolution. Taichi spotted them first. "Hikari, Takeru! Glad you're here. Koushiro?"

"Already on it," the redhead replied. Unsurprisingly, his computer was in his lap and he was typing away. Seconds later, Gatomon and Patamon appeared and the partners greeted each other happily. They had done this before; Hikari did not know how it worked, but Koushiro and Gennai had figured out some way to transfer the Digimon from Gennai's house through Koushiro's computer to them.

"This guy's name is Murmukusmon," Taichi explained quickly. "Mega. Demon Lord." Hikari tensed at that. Demon Lord was the same type that Daemon had been.

"He's not as powerful as Daemon was," Koushiro added. Apparently, they aren't the same rank or something. But he's got enough Champion and Ultimates under him to give us some trouble. We shouldn't have any more problems once you two join us."

However, before Gatomon and Patamon could Digivolve, Ex-Veemon called out a warning. "Look out," he yelled before he grabbed Daisuke and Miyako (the two closest to him) and flew back as fast as he could. Takeru's shield flashed into existence again. The multiple attacks heading for them were stopped by it, but the land beneath them still quaked with the impact. Hikari cried out as she stumbled but thought she could keep her footing.

Until one of her heels snapped beneath her.

She fell to the ground, catching herself with her palms, scratching them up. Her hair fell out of its stylized bun, and she heard and felt the slit of her dress ripping up her leg. Trying to breathe, she ripped the offending member off her foot and stared at the broken shoe. Gripping it tightly in her fist, Hikari could feel the tightening in her chest as heat flooded her. Vaguely, she could hear Mimi in the background asking if everyone was alright, but the blood was pounding in her ears. "That is it," she hissed under her breath.

Coming to her feet, she stated, "Takeru, drop the shield." Pretty sure she shocked him enough by her low, dangerous tone for him to comply, Hikari kicked off her remaining shoe behind her so she was more balanced, not even bothering to check where it fell. With the heat growing inside her, she felt hot, so she ripped her jacket off her arms and flung it to the ground. Hiking her skirt up to her knees, Hikari marched past the others and started up the hill.

Gatomon trailed behind her, and in the back of her mind, she was surprised that no one tried to stop her or talk to her. "Hikari, where are you going?" But she was lost now in the power building inside her, answering her silent call. "You do know you're doing that glowing white thing again, right?"

Minutely, Hikari registered Gatomon's words enough to realize that would explain why everyone was leaving her alone. With the power coursing through her, it was hard to think of anything else. She had just had what was probably the worst Valentine's Day of her entire life. And she wasn't going to let some two-bit Demon Lord, who was not even Daemon's level and she had leveled that jerk to dust, ruin it even further, beyond recovery. All she wanted was to spend some more time with her boyfriend; Hikari did not believe this was too much to ask. Inside her, she felt the connection, the gateway to more power, and she rushed to grasp it.

"Takeru, you're glowing white now, too." That was Yamato.

"Yeah...not sure...uh…" This time it was Takeru. But she was too far in now for his voice to calm her at all now. "Oh! It's Hikari. She's taking my power."

"Can she do that?" Koushiro, always so fun of questions.

"Apparently."

Nothing more was said as the glowing D-3s of Hope and Light joined the white light of the couple when Hikari reached the hilltop. In a Digivolution faster than any one she'd seen before, Ophanimon stood beside her. "Go." It was a single command and not one word more was needed as the Angel Digimon took off to battle. She saw Seraphimon behind her, so Patamon must have reacted to her command when she latched onto Takeru's power.

The battle did not last much longer after that. The two Angel Digimon ripped through the ranks of Nightmare Soldiers. Like their partners, they shone with the white light of power. Sometimes, only the touch of that light was enough to return them to digital bits. With Ophanimon's **Sephirote Crystal** and Seraphimon's **Strike of the Seven Stars**, Murmukusmon's minions were soon dealt with. There was no banter involved as Seraphimon flew at the Demon Lord, swinging his sword, which Murmukusmon caught in his claws, even as he tried to scream out his displeasure. But that meant he had no protection as Ophanimon drove her **Eden's Javelin** through his back. The sky grew too bright to look at as an explosion of white light lit up the sky. When it cleared, Murmukusmon was gone.

* * *

_8:23pm_

Hikari knew she was a wreck. She knew she was on her final straw. She knew this day was just a bad day. She knew she shouldn't take out her frustrations on the people she cared about. She also knew, at that moment, that she didn't particularly care.

Turning her gaze away from the battle, she looked at her line of friends. A slice of satisfaction ran through her as all the men took a step backward, similar expressions of disbelief and shock all over their faces. Mimi looked torn somewhere between amusement and shock, while Miyako simply stood there with her mouth gaping open. As her eyes landed on Takeru, she could see the white glow around him had not yet quite faded, so she figured it hadn't left her all the way either yet.

Amazingly, and inexplicably, she only had one thought after all that had happened today. "Takeru," she said flatly. Her boyfriend looked slightly panicked at being singled out. It wasn't often that she got this way, so she could understand that, she supposed. It took quite a lot for her to reach this point, and the consequences, as evidence by the complete and utter annihilation brought on by Ophanimon, were always severe.

Taichi patted his soon-to-be brother-in-law (someday) on the shoulder, and Hikari swore she saw him say "good luck" to the younger man. His own brother, Yamato, on the other hand, simply nudged Takeru forward as if saying "better you than me". Takeru approached her slowly and cautiously.

When he was close enough, Hikari reached up and grabbed his neck. Without warning, she pulled him to her for a brief, heated kiss. She could tell she shocked him by the way he hadn't kissed her back before she pulled away. A slightly dazed look filled his face when she looked up at him. The faint glow around him had gone completely; Hikari assumed the contact with him had calmed her enough to let go of their power. "Don't you dare propose to me today." In a low, hard voice, she spoke the single thought that had been running through her head since the end of the battle. "I'm not in the mood for it."

If anything, he looked even more lost than before. "What? I wasn't—" She cut him off with another kiss, and this time, he wasn't shocked enough to not return it. As she pulled away this time, Hikari caught sight of his face long enough to see that he looked like he had exactly zero percent of an idea of what had just happened. An expression that was mirrored by most of the others in their group.

"Now, take me home."

* * *

_9:07pm_

Koushiro had seemed all too eager to comply with her request as soon as possible. Patamon had flown back looking particularly exhausted, but Gatomon had strutted back appearing very smug. The other Digimon had returned as well, looking about as shocked as their partners. Good-byes were said and the couple arrived back at Sora and Yamato's apartment with Yamato and Taichi in tow. It was the closest open gate for all of them. Sora took one look at her and wisely said nothing but to offer a pair of shoes and a coat for the way home. Hikari was not so stubborn as to refuse. She and Takeru left almost immediately after that.

The trip home was made in silence. Hikari held onto her anger, feeling completely and utterly justified. She didn't live very far from Sora and Yamato, so as they walked Sora's coat covered most of the damage, but the fact remained that she was wearing a puffy bright red coat that clashed with her red dress. Compiled with her messed up hair and white tennis shoes, it was no wonder she got more than a few stares and whispers on the way back. She was glad they chose to walk—Hikari could ignore them better now than if they had been stuck on a bus or train.

When they were close to her home, no more than a block away, she felt Takeru's hand brush close to hers before he grasped it. Hikari glanced up at him to find him looking down at her, smiling tentatively. From the look of his expression, he was worried that she was going to blow up at him. But looking at him, Hikari simply felt all her anger bleed away. Her shoulders dropped as the tension in her body dissipated.

"Would you like to hear about my day?" she asked, changing the position of their clasped hands so that their fingers were intertwined. She continued to speak without waiting for his answer, "It all began with chocolate…"

And as she retold the events of the day, Takeru helped her laugh her way through it. With his perspective, she could see and appreciate just how ridiculous everything had been. Once again, she was reminded of why she loved him so much.

She may not be in the mood for the question today, but when it came, there was no doubt of what her answer would be.

* * *

_Author's Notes: Admit it; you all thought he was going to propose at the end. Sorry, not today! There's a sequel oneshot of sorts planned entitled _Unending Torment_ which stars our Takeru trying (and failing) to do just that._


End file.
